TV Forum

And, speaking of MHz, I have a little tidbit. I was watching my last Maigret episode last night (the Watchathon is ending today) Maigret and the Ghost (Maigret et le Fantome) and there is a woman who plays a young wife - I am looking at her and saying I know that face, but from where. She is tall, thin, has chin length dark brown hair and is stunningly beautiful. I wait until I finish and look the episode up, it was/is a young Elizabeth Bourgine... Catherine of Death in Paradise.


Now, the first time I watched this episode - this is one of the one's I haven't seen in years - I wasn't watching Death in Paradise (in fact, the series had just started around that time) so she would not have stood out to me... this time, a bell went off. The episode was made in 1993, what are we talking, twenty eight years ago, and she has hardly changed - beautiful then, beautiful now.

This is one of my favorite episodes, it is a slow (slow) paced one, not that any of the Maigret episodes are faced-paced, Maigret is a thinker, much like Poriot. The pace of action in this one I think would drive most people crazy, but it works within the context of the story and for me, trying to understand as much as possible, it is a gem!


Maigret goes to Helsinki where he works with a young Finnish detective who speaks French beautifully, but in general, everyone in the episode - outside of Maigret himself, Elizabeth Bourgine's character (who is from Nice) and one other young woman - French is not their first language.


Some characters spoke several languages, but because French was not the main language, Finnish was, we have an episode where the dialogue is basic and everyone is trying to do their best to speak French. A bonus for me! They were speaking slowly and deliberately and I was in my glory.


And, I heard that chameleon of a word d'accord used many times and in a new way. On the plane over to Finland Maigret is smoking his pipe (Maigret is always smoking his pipe or has it in his hand (French pronunciation "peep")... the stewardess tells him (in Finnish) that he can't smoke the pipe on the plane. He doesn't understand her, realizing this, she uses the little French she knows to convey this to him and once he understands, he replies, d' accord, which is translated on screen as "I see". He quickly puts the pipe away and she gives him a shot of vodka as consolation for his not being allowed to smoke. There is a lot of vodka flowing in Finland, but I digress. That word has so many applications, from okay, yes, I see, alright, good (as in acknowledging something positive) the list goes on.



"Je ne sais pas" (I don't know) is another one you hear continually - think of it, how often is that phrased used in most police investigations (until they get to the very end). No one ever knows anything in the beginning!

Deedee, "Tell Me Who I Am", I looked it up and see why you hesitate to reccomend it. You need an iron clad stomach for that story, the fact that it is true is horrifying beyond belief.

Thanks, Brit.


Last post back - yes, the story of the twins proves there is evil incarnate in the world. The movie is riveting and very well done, so if you can steel yourself, I recommend it.


Another horrific show was The Serpent. Badly done, though, too many flashbacks, the crimes were horrific, and I encourage everyone to not bother.


Sneaky Pete is laborious, but Giovanni Ribisi is worth watching.


I plugged Maigret (Bruno Cremer) into Just Watch and they find no streaming available. Odd they didn't show MHZ. Glad their issues are resolved with Xfinity.


Odd you're having issues with Acorn. I get them through Amazon Prime, is it possible they are better through them?


Funny, I have realized in the past year that I rotate among very few cable programs - Law and Order (sorry Brit!), especially those with poor Jerry O.; Blue Bloods, even though their self righteousness and faux family dinners are like chalk on a blackboard; Bob's Burgers, love that show; Elementary; and in first place, M*A*S*H, after Harry Morgan arrives.


Do you all have Season 10 of Death in Paradise? Somewhat of a spoiler......................Ruby and Madeleine are gone. A bogus reason was given, and I can't find a good explanation online. Ralf is a little less annoying this year, and Florence is back in the cast. Odd goings on. An 11th and 12th season have been confirmed.

Still waiting on Season 10 of Death in Paradise here. It might be a while before I get to see it as it just finished up in the UK not long ago.

Odd you're having issues with Acorn. I get them through Amazon Prime, is it possible they are better through them?




I think you are right on this, Deedee. I use to have a lot of problems with them in the beginning, then they upgraded their system and things were fine. Right now, everything is working, videos are uploading. Xfinity just went through another upgrade and I have a feeling that was the issue I was having.




Jerry (of L&O fame) is at permanent residence at my house!! That show has become like chalk screeching on a chalkboard for me. Some days it is on a continuous loop... Jerry all day! :), :)




This is my point (about the cable), let us figure out what series/movies the Hubs has to have in his repertoire and we can purchase whatever streaming services that provide those at a much reduced cost. For the longest time I had no idea how much the cable cost... I didn't want to know... he got whatever channels he wanted (there use to be a Baseball package that was added on top of everything else, but no more, something happened with that), he paid the bill, and I lived in ignorant bliss. All was right with the world.




Where I made my mistake is in one day asking the amount we were paying for the cable bill. I come from the philosophy if you aren't prepared to hear the answer to your question, don't ask it. Well, I didn't listen to my own credo. When he told me I almost fell over - we are talking in the realm of another car payment when you add the wifi fee. It is insanity. I like Xfinity, but not that much.

Deedee and Appara, I have a few of the "Death in Paradise" episodes in my DVR that I haven't watched yet. I came in midway on S10, I didn't realize that the new season was running and I missed the first three episodes (or so). I will probably start from what I have recorded and go back to those I missed when they are re-aired.



I read awhile ago that they dumped Ruby which I was very unhappy to hear. Apparently, she was blindsided by the decision as well... she thought she was coming back and then no contract arrives and Florence reappears. It took me awhile to warm up to Ruby, but I did and thought she was a great addition to the cast. Why they felt she couldn't stay with Florence returning makes little sense to me. The actress that plays Ruby thinks that people may have found her character annoying and that is why she was let go.



I don't buy that ... if that is what she was led to believe. Her character was annoying at first, but once she had a chance to settle in with the character and subsequently, Ruby had a chance to settle in with the team, she became a lovable part of the cast.



I think this was all about money. They most likely had to pay the actress that plays Florence more, probably much more, than the actress playing Madeleine, to get her back - and to do this, they decided Ruby was expendable.

appara, I think you'll like DIP. Although Ardal will still be my favorite, it is still a 'cozy' mystery I guess they call it? And like some of the UK shows on the coast with caravans, the beach has a starring role.

LOL, completely understand Brit. It is my white noise and the show I usually settle on when there is nothing else on my useless 150 channels. Worst case, I switch after the Law part, since McCoy is like no other lawyer in the world. And jeez, did HE become a grump with the latest DA. Arthur never yelled at him that much. It's also fun playing 'before they were famous' with the actors, and the show gave work to SO many actors!

I am bemused by the deregulation of cable, ages ago, that was supposed to allow us a menu selection. They are more greedy than ever, and Verizon is one of the worst. Of course, the politicians were paid off to allow this.

Really? Ruby didn't know??? Wow, that's dirty pool. I read that people said she was annoying, and she was hurt. Well, she was but she could have grown. Heck, Ralf made me want to drag him to a dermatologist, and the writers are letting him get over it. Sexism in television, what a surprise. Good point on Florence, though. They probably spend a ton on A/C on Guadalupe for the cast, from what the former main detectives have said about the unbearable heat.

Holy mackerel, 4:50 to Paddington was on last night with McEwan and was it a stinker. Thankfully, it served as a Sominex. It was nice to see the very excellent David Warner and John Hannah and Pam Ferris, though. And I love the sound of a train!

Endeavour was on after it, but the Muse trilogy was too vicious for me, thanks all the same writers.

Regarding Death in Paradise, I was also beyond annoyed by Ruby....at the beginning! Turns out she was the perfect personality to be the Commissioners niece, and then turned out to be a very competent investigator too! LOL

Tonite on my PBS is the start of a 6-part documentary Human: The World Within. Not usually a 'reality' fan, but I'm going to tune in and give this one a try.

Deedee, wasn't Pam Ferris good in that episode, I wish we had a chance to see more of her, but alas the part was a small one.


The guest stars in the McEwan episodes are their highlights, while rewatching this go around I was struck by the caliber of talent in the casts. No expense seemed to be spared in this regard and the production values are excellent. If they just hadn't played with the stories as they did - that is where the fault is with her versions. Her "Murder is Announced" and "Murder at the Vicarage" are my two favorites. Those were as good - in their own way - as Joan Hickson's to me. The casts in both of these were stellar and they stayed pretty much true to original stories.



You must of missed it, early on in this re-airing of the Marple stories they showed the Joan Hickson version of "4:50 to Paddington". First came that, then a few weeks later they showed McEwan's. This is the only story that they aired both versions. You would have enjoyed seeing Joan's again and I rather liked having both to watch. I wish they had done the same with "At Bertram's Hotel"... they only showed McEwan's, which after a fun opening goes quite downhill. Nothing will ever come close to Hickson's version.

Appara, I looked that up, it sounds interesting. Could be a little dry to watch or it could be fascinating. Let me know how it is.

I caught E4 of "Death in Paradise" (as I missed recording the first three episodes)... realizing I may have missed some pertinent info from the start of the season, here are my thoughts from where I dropped in... I am missing Ruby in a big way.


She brought a lightness, in the terms of bright light, to the stories. She was always trying to do good, be the best police person she could be, and with a cheerfulness which is now non-existent in the show. I like Florence, but she is dead serious, as a character she is all business and adds little beyond her efficiency at doing her job. Ruby added the heart to the show... and having the Commisioner as her uncle added that bit of personal tension (in a good way) that made him more approachable to the audience.


I don't quite understand what this new guy is doing there, he added nothing to the story. If he is Dwane's replacement, they need to keep looking.


If I was TPTB, I would be tracking Shyko Amos down and waving a contract in my hand.


That being said, they always do come up with a storyline that has an interesting spin. Maybe a little farfetched, but definately out of the ordinary.

Watched E5 of "Atlantic Crossing".... I thought this was a very good episode, the scenes with the First Lady and the Crown Princess were both surprising and a highlight of the story.

Good grief! If not for IMDb, I wouldn't have remembered that Eleanor R./Harriet Sansom Harris was Bebe from Frasier! She is a standout in a show that is barely bearable. This is not a multi watch Masterpiece.

I completely agree, Brit. Ruby annoyed me, but you really miss someone when they are not there.

New writers? New producers? So they got rid of her with no explanation?

It seems a different show. JP was promoted and seems more incompetent. Why was Camille let go? Florence adds nothing, her storyline was done and dusted.

The Commish was all over Ruby for a transgression. He gave Mini JP ONE MORE CHANCE and I think the dolt has had at least a half dozen more inanities that were ignored by those in charge and him smirking after each one. He wouldn't last two weeks in any police force irl.

Wait until you reach episode 5 and 6, Brit. Thankfully I am watching it on Britbox, I have fast forwarded through most of them. It's not even cutting it as white noise.

Shame, Ardal and company made it a decent show.

My PBS Channel 39 aired Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and then rounded out the evening with Unforgotten the other night. I looked at that and thought for many PBSer's it couldn't get much better than that. The PBS heyday has been back for a while now. Ever since they started mixing these older, much loved standards with the newer series we have had some fabulous viewing. I wish they had done this years ago, they didn't, but they are doing it now and that is the most important thing.



I watched the episode of Morse with Richard Briars once again - Death is Now My Neighbor. Not a favorite of mine, in fact RB plays such a diabolical character that it makes my hair stand up on end. He is in the same category as Robert Hardy for me (Soler), maybe even a little bit worst. I can not stand him on screen - the only thing I was able to enjoy him in (ever) was when he played Hector in Monarch of the Glen and that was only because he was up in years and mellowed out some by then. Same (as I have said) about Robert Hardy - he did well in Sense and Sensibility, I could tolerate him, but that is only because Elizabeth Spriggs overshadowed him at every move he made. It was glorious.


The only reason I watched the episode was to see Maggie Steed in the role of Angela. What an exceptional performance! The woman was so convincing in the role that even in her mature years you believed her as the confident, alcoholic wife/femme fatale who would stop at nothing to make sure her husband (and she) clawed to the top. Stunning performance. No one could have done better, no one. She is at the very top when it comes to British actors.


We also first meet Adele, one of the few sane, non-criminal, women that Morse gets involved with. Up until now every other has either, not been that interested in him, or involved in the crime - at least that I can remember.